Zardari calls for unconditional talks with India

[wtf]

DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Zardari calls for unconditional talks with India
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari urged India on Monday to resume the process of composite dialogue ‘unconditionally’ to jointly address common problems, including terrorism.

Violence and militancy were no solution to political problems, the president said during a meeting with Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, the executive director of Kashmir Centre in Washington.

The president said the ‘merchants of war’ promoted violence for settling political disputes, but this had to be resisted through recourse to peaceful indigenous political movements.

The dialogue was halted by India after the Mumbai attacks in November last year.

The president said: ‘Pakistan wants an honourable, equitable and peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the wishes of the people of Kashmir.’

He said the opening of trade across the Line of Control in Kashmir by Pakistan would bring Kashmiri people closer and pave way for a peaceful political resolution to the dispute.

‘No resolution will be equitable or honourable which is not in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Kashmir.’

The president praised the Kashmir Centre for highlighting the Kashmir issue internationally.

Mr Fai thanked the president for his government’s support to the cause of Kashmiri people.

Oil and gas sector

During a meeting with the chairman of BRIDAS, an international oil company of Argentina, the president praised the Argentine government for taking interest in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project and in exploration and development of gas fields in Balochistan and Sindh.

He said the petroleum exploration and production policy for 2009 offered great incentives to investors, adding that his government had adopted an approach based on the principles of de-regularisation, liberalisation and privatisation.

President Zardari said that in view of the increasing energy demand over the next five years and low indigenous production, Pakistan’s oil sector offered vast opportunities for investment.

Investment Minister Waqar Ahmed Khan, Board of Investment Chairman Saleem H. Mandviwala, Special Petroleum Secretary G.A. Sabri, Secretary Investment Tariq Iqbal Puri and Secretary General Salman Faruqui and Ambassador of Argentina Carlos Bulgheroni attended the meeting.

Upper Dir

Later, the president handed over to Najmuddin Khan, the Minister for State and Frontier Region, and MPA M. Anwar Khan a cheque for Rs11.2 million for the victims of Friday’s suicide blast in a mosque in Upper Dir.

 

[wtf]

What is not clear is what the "unconditional" means. Does that mean India should not ask for Mumbai prosecutions to be complete before talks start ? Or does it mean that "accept Kashmir as central issue" demand has been dropped ?

 

[wtf]

Indian PM has said that "India is willing to meet Pakistan more than halfway".

VOA News - Indian Prime Minister Open to Peace Talks with Pakistan

He has continued to ask Pakistan to clamp down on terrorists
BBC NEWS | South Asia | India PM urges Pakistan on terror

Same story from Dawn
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DAWN.COM | World | India PM willing to meet Pakistan ?more than half way?

NEW DELHI: India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday reached out to Pakistan after months of tension following the Mumbai attacks, saying India would meet its neighbour ‘more than half way’ if Pakistan cracked down on militants.

India had put a pause on slow-moving peace talks with Pakistan after New Delhi blamed a militant strike on the financial hub on the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-i-Taiba (LT).

‘I expect the Government of Pakistan...use every means at their disposal to bring to justice those who had committed these crimes in the past, including the attack on Mumbai,’ Singh said in an address to parliament.

The speech came only weeks after Singh's resounding election victory that gave the Congress-led government a strong mandate in its second term.

‘If the leaders of Pakistan have the courage, the determination and the statesmanship to take this road of peace, I wish to assure them that we will meet them more than half way,’ Singh added.

India has also blamed some Pakistani state agencies of backing the attack that killed 166 people in November.

Islamabad denied official involvement but has acknowledged the raid had been launched and partly planned from Pakistan.

India said last week it wanted to normalise relations with its old rival, with whom it has gone to war three times since independence, but reacted angrily to the release of the LT's founder by Pakistan's Supreme Court.

Indian experts had said the release from house arrest of Hafiz Mohammad Saeed was a setback for the resumption of talks.

India gave Pakistan a dossier of information shortly after the Mumbai attacks and followed it up last month with what it said was more evidence that Pakistan could use to prosecute the guilty

 

[Goodperson]

No talks till Pakistans so called stateless actors are handed over to India.

 

[IceCold]

No talks till Pakistans so called stateless actors are handed over to India.

Tell that to your PM who is willing to go more then half way to meet Pakistan.

 

[Goodperson]

Tell that to your PM who is willing to go more then half way to meet Pakistan.

Check his statement "‘If the leaders of Pakistan have the courage, the determination and the statesmanship to take this road of peace, I wish to assure them that we will meet them more than half way"

 

[wtf]

Check his statement "‘If the leaders of Pakistan have the courage, the determination and the statesmanship to take this road of peace, I wish to assure them that we will meet them more than half way"

The BBC article at least seems to think that Manmohan Singh's speech was a response to Pak Presidents speech. It further assumes that the "Act against terror" message was in response to Zardari's "Unconditional talks" statement.

My doubts still remain on what Zardari meant by unconditional talks. India had asked for such talks during Musharraf times and the reply was always "accept Kashmir as a central issue" or "solve Kashmir first". That lead to the whole back-channel thing.
I wonder what Zardari actually meant by "unconditional". Does this represent a policy change from Pakistan that India has missed ? Was the Indian speech prepared before Zardari gave his message ? It is even more interesting since Zardari and Singh could meet at the SCO summit in Russia (the location of a Chinese lead group in Russia in itself is a new breakthrough)

The Hindu : Front Page : Will Manmohan meet Zardari in Russia?

 

[IceCold]

Check his statement "‘If the leaders of Pakistan have the courage, the determination and the statesmanship to take this road of peace, I wish to assure them that we will meet them more than half way"

You better open up your eyes and re read what i have written after all its not french. You said no talks till these so called stateless actors are handed over to India. I said better tell this to your pm who is willing to meet Pakistan more then half way because we are not providing you with anything. It was a response to you and not what your PM means or does not mean.

 

[IceCold]

The BBC article at least seems to think that Manmohan Singh's speech was a response to Pak Presidents speech. It further assumes that the "Act against terror" message was in response to Zardari's "Unconditional talks" statement.

My doubts still remain on what Zardari meant by unconditional talks. India had asked for such talks during Musharraf times and the reply was always "accept Kashmir as a central issue" or "solve Kashmir first". That lead to the whole back-channel thing.
I wonder what Zardari actually meant by "unconditional". Does this represent a policy change from Pakistan that India has missed ? Was the Indian speech prepared before Zardari gave his message ? It is even more interesting since Zardari and Singh could meet at the SCO summit in Russia (the location of a Chinese lead group in Russia in itself is a new breakthrough)

The Hindu : Front Page : Will Manmohan meet Zardari in Russia?

Pay him and you will hear all type of statements from him. Frankly do not take his word seriously because even he isn't too sure about what he means and has been embarrassed on numerous occasions.

 

[wtf]

Pay him and you will hear all type of statements from him. Frankly do not take his word seriously because even he isn't too sure about what he means and has been embarrassed on numerous occasions.

That path has already been traversed. Someone (not the PM) from India earlier made the statement that Pakistan speaks with many voices.
The real question is, if you cannot trust the President (who is the supreme commander) and at the same time Military refuses to talk for the nation, who should one talk to ? Musharraf took years before he was accepted as a legitimate leader and by the time India/US started seriously talking to him, he was out of power.

 

[AliFarooq]

No talks till Pakistans so called stateless actors are handed over to India.

r u forgetting abt samjhota express bombing?

 

[IceCold]

That path has already been traversed. Someone (not the PM) from India earlier made the statement that Pakistan speaks with many voices.
The real question is, if you cannot trust the President (who is the supreme commander) and at the same time Military refuses to talk for the nation, who should one talk to ? Musharraf took years before he was accepted as a legitimate leader and by the time India/US started seriously talking to him, he was out of power.

No one. On a side note what is the purpose of talking anyways. Seriously don't you guys think what a waste of time and resources.

 

[spsk]

r u forgetting abt samjhota express bombing?

samjhota express case handled very well by India,Its a internal issue to India why do worry about it? If you feel India is unsafe be there in Pakistan. But Mumbai blast is different, your non state actors ( seriously don't know whats that ) entered India and killed our civilians.

 

[wtf]

No one. On a side note what is the purpose of talking anyways. Seriously don't you guys think what a waste of time and resources.

The other alternative being ?

If talks work, India would get lesser terrorists and more trade. If talks fail, at least there is some hope that there is no war.
Without talks, you get terrorists running amok in India and a border that is sealed for trade. In addition there is the fear of mistrust building up and causing a war.
Something similar works for Pakistan too, I guess. It is true that India does not have much to offer since India does not have terror-stick to hang over Pakistan, but at least the peace and economic prosperity should appeal to Pakistan.

Can't see your point about no talks. Would you prefer an all out war?

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

your non state actors ( seriously don't know whats that )

People who are not supported or sponsored by the state - what's so hard to understand about that?